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President Rivlin:
“We must stand together in fighting all forms of antisemitism. We must stand together in fighting all forms of racism.”
“We shall build new bridges of understanding and give practical expression to our values of עַרְבוּת הֲדָדִית and אַחְדוּת: mutual responsibility and unity, among the entire Jewish family.”
President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin spoke this evening, Wednesday 10 June / 18 Sivan, with leaders from Jewish communities across the United States by videoconference, talking about the challenges they face in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The conversation was held under the title of ‘a family gathering’.
The conversation was held in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the participation of Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. Speaking from the American Jewish community were CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations William Daroff; President and CEO of Sinai Health System, Chicago Karen Teitelbaum; President of the Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Rick Jacobs; President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America Eric Fingerhut; spokesperson for the Monsey Jewish community Rabbi Yisroel Kahan; Senior Rabbi of IKAR, Los Angeles Rabbi Sharon Brous; President of the Koret Foundation and Executive Director of Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco Dr. Anita Friedman; Associate Director of Hillel at Emory University, Atlanta Lauren Blazofsky; and JCRC San Francisco Executive Director Tyler Gregory.
“These are days when we are all facing the challenges of the coronavirus and, more than ever, it is most important to deepen the bonds between us. it is time for us to be there for each other,” said the president at the beginning of his remarks. “As I enter my final year as president, I reflect on my first days in office. I will be honest. I have gone through my own journey in terms of understanding the American Jewish community, with all of its different streams and today I am happy to have had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of American Jewish life.”
The president spoke of the many challenges, in the coming period: the challenge of providing Jewish education when Jewish schools and camps are closed, the challenge of connecting young people to Israel when Taglit, Masa and other programs are on hold, the challenge of combating antisemitism which he said he feared will only grow worse in the coming year. “We must stand together in fighting all forms of antisemitism. We must stand together in fighting all forms of racism. Antisemitism and racism are two sides of the same coin, and we must fight them wherever they appear,” he said.
“We must strive to build a new dialogue between us,” said the president. “In 1958, Ben Gurion faced the difficult question: ‘Who is a Jew?’. In order to answer that question, he turned to fifty leading Jewish thinkers, from all different backgrounds: in the United States, in Europe and in Israel, and asked for their opinions. Well, we still have not solved all of the difficult questions of the Jewish People. But this is the spirit of true dialogue, between Israel and the Diaspora that we need today.”
“Friends, I look forward to working with you, together with our Foreign Minister, Gabi Ashkenazi and Diaspora Affairs Minister Omer Yankelevich. We shall build new bridges of understanding and give practical expression to our values of עַרְבוּת הֲדָדִית and אַחְדוּת: mutual responsibility and unity, among the entire Jewish family.” At the end of his remarks, the president said, “For many years, the American Jewish community has stood with Israel. Today, we are here to hear you, and to see how we can help in any way. Because despite the distance between us, we feel closer today than ever before. Todah Rabah. God bless you.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi MK: “Thank you, Mr. President, for the welcome initiative to hold this important meeting. The sense of mutual obligation between the State of Israel and the global Jewish community is a cornerstone of Israeli diplomacy around the world and for me personally as foreign minister. I salute the leaders of the American Jewish community for their leadership as they confront the coronavirus pandemic. We share the same fate and we must work together to get through this crisis.”
Photo credit: Mark Neyman (GPO)
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IAI has successfully completed an operational dual firing trial with the LORA Weapon System. The trial was held in the open sea to demonstrate LORA’s capabilities to an IAI customer
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has completed a dual operational firing trial with LORA (Long-Range Artillery Weapon System), a precise ballistic strike missile. The trial was designed and performed under COVID-19 restrictions as part of IAI’s work plan, which includes demonstrating the capabilities of the advanced system to customers.
Held in the open sea, the trial included the launch of two long-range LORA missiles to a pre-defined hit point at sea. The complex trial included two scenarios to test and demonstrate LORA’s advanced capabilities. The first scenario involved a short-range launch to 90 km and the second to a long range of 400 km. In its ground version, the weapon system was deployed on a ship in the open sea to comply with the safety requirements of trials of this type. The missile was launched from an operational system that comprises a command trailer and a ground launcher. Under both scenarios, the missile was launched to its trajectory, navigated its course to the target, and hit it with utmost precision. Both the weapon system and the missile successfully met all of the trial’s objectives. Given the COVID-19 restrictions, the trial was executed with a portable trial field and a capsule team, which managed the trial remotely.
Developed by IAI’s MALAM division, LORA is a sea-to-ground and ground-to-ground system which comprises a long-range ballistic missile, a unique launcher, a command and control system, and a ground/marine support system. The LORA system provides ballistic assault capabilities for multiple ranges with a precision level of 10 meters CEP.
Boaz Levy, IAI's EVP and General Manager of the Systems, Missiles and Space Group, said: “The complex trial, performed under COVID-19 limitations, demonstrated the advanced capabilities of both IAI and LORA, our strategic missile system. The trial was executed according to a fully functional design, which tested the system’s maneuvering, strike, and precision, as well as technological developments and enhancements introduced by our engineers. Performing a trial with this level of complexity during these days is a testament to IAI’s unwavering commitment to our clients across the globe. The impressive results of the trial prove the system’s maturity and state-of-the-art capabilities.” Levy added, “I would like to thank Israel's Navy, Air force, and Israeli Ministry of Defense for the collaboration and assistance in this trial."
LORA was developed at IAI’s Systems, Missiles & Space Group. The Group boasts a long record in air-defense systems, such as the Arrow 2 and 3, the Barak 8, loitering missiles, and countless missile and satellite systems, such as observation satellites, nano-satellites, communication satellites (including Dror, the national communication satellite). The Group has also co-built the Beresheet spacecraft which traveled to the moon on its first mission. IAI is a national and global technological hub for air defense, radars, satellites, unmanned vehicles, civilian aviation, and cyber.
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- Written by Silvia G. Golan
Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv – Yafo, joins dozens of C-40 Mayors in calling for a healthy, equitable and sustainable economic recovery to COVID-19 pandemic.
Statement endorsed by mayors of Los Angeles, Athens, Austin, Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Curitiba, Freetown, Hong Kong, Houston, Lima, Lisbon, London,
Medellín, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Portland, Quezon City, Rotterdam, Salvador, São Paulo, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle,
Seoul, Sydney, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Vancouver
Mayor of Tel Aviv - Yafo, Ron Huldai joined fellow leaders from many of the world’s most powerful cities on Thursday May 7, to warn that the recovery from COVID-19 “should not be
a return to ‘business as usual’ - because that is a world on track for 3°C or more of over- heating.”
The C40 group of cities released a statement of principles, signed by Mayor Huldai, to shape the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Mayors, representing more than 750 million people
worldwide, pledge, “to build a better, more sustainable and fairer society out of the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.”
The principles were adopted in the first meeting of C40’s Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, supported by C40 Chair, Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, and have been
endorsed by scores of city leaders from around the world, including Los Angeles, Athens, Austin, Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Curitiba, Freetown, Hong Kong,
Houston, Lima, Lisbon, London, Medellín, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Portland, Quezon City, Rotterdam, Salvador, São Paulo, San
Francisco, Santiago, Seattle, Seoul, Sydney, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Vancouver.
Today’s announcement comes after a series of virtual meetings attended by more than 40 mayors, demonstrating how they are working together globally to overcome both the
coronavirus and climate change crises.
Michael R. Bloomberg, C40 Board President and Mayor of New York City, 2002-2013 said: “This task force is committed to helping city leaders as they work on economic recovery in
ways that lead us forward into the future, not back into the past. The principles we’ve outlined will guide our efforts to develop a new normal – one that is greener, healthier, and
more prosperous for everyone.”
Statement of Principles:
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the world’s cities. It is not just a global health crisis, but a social and economic crisis, the effects of which will be felt for years to
come. In many ways it is also an urban phenomenon, with its roots in environmental destruction and humanity’s relationship with nature.
As mayors, we are committed to supporting the residents of our cities and protecting their health, based on the guidance of expert advice. As members of C40 Cities, we are sharing
what we have learned over the past months, and the knowledge we have gained in responding to other crises - public health, economic and environmental.
It is clear that the harm caused by COVID-19 has not been equitable. The most vulnerable and the most disadvantaged are being hurt the most by both the health and economic
impacts of COVID-19. It is also clear that the world was not fully prepared for this crisis, despite lessons learned from SARS, MERS, Ebola and other recent public health and climate
emergencies. This is, in part, a consequence of the undermining of international mechanisms and institutions which were built to bring peace and prosperity to all. It is, in
part, a consequence of ignoring science-based knowledge.
We, as leaders of major cities across the globe, are clear that our ambition should not be a return to ‘normal’ – our goal is to build a better, more sustainable, more resilient and fairer
society out of the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore, our joint strategy to support the recovery of our cities and their residents from COVID-19 will be governed by these
principles:
1. The recovery should not be a return to ‘business as usual’ - because that is a world on track for 3°C or more of over-heating;
2. The recovery, above all, must be guided by an adherence to public health and scientific expertise, in order to assure the safety of those who live in our cities;
3. Excellent public services, public investment and increased community resilience will form the most effective basis for the recovery;
4. The recovery must address issues of equity that have been laid bare by the impact of the crisis – for example, workers who are now recognised as essential should be
celebrated and compensated accordingly and policies must support people living in informal settlements;
5. The recovery must improve the resilience of our cities and communities. Therefore, investments should be made to protect against future threats – including the climate
crisis – and to support those people impacted by climate and health risks.
6. Climate action can help accelerate economic recovery and enhance social equity, through the use of new technologies and the creation of new industries and new
jobs. These will drive wider benefits for our residents, workers, students, businesses and visitors
7. We commit to doing everything in our power and the power of our city governments to ensure that the recovery from COVID-19 is healthy, equitable and sustainable;
8. We commit to using our collective voices and individual actions to ensure that national governments support both cities and the investments needed in cities, to
deliver an economic recovery that is healthy, equitable and sustainable;
9. We commit to using our collective voices and individual actions to ensure that international and regional institutions invest directly in cities to support a healthy,
equitable and sustainable recovery.
The full list of mayors to have formally endorsed the Statement of Principles are:
Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv - Yafo
Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles
Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens
Stephen Adler, Mayor of Austin
Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona
Claudia López, Mayor of Bogotá
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston
Horacio Rodríguez-Larreta, Chief of Government of Buenos Aires
Lori Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago
Rafael Greca, Mayor of Curitiba
Yvonne Saki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown
KS Wong, Secretary for the Environment, Hong Kong, China
Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston
Fernando Medina, Mayor of Lisbon
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
Jorge Muñoz, Mayor of Lima
Daniel Quintero Calle, Mayor of Medellín
Sally Capp, Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Claudia Sheinbaum, Mayor of Mexico City
Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan
Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montréal
LaToya Cantrell, Mayor of New Orleans
Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City
Raymond Johansen, Governing Mayor of Oslo
Ted Wheeler, Mayor of Portland
Josephina Belmonte, Mayor of Quezon City
Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam
Antônio Carlos Peixoto de Magalhães Neto, Mayor of Salvador
Bruno Covas, Mayor of São Paulo
London Breed, Mayor of San Francisco
Felipe Guevara, Governor of Santiago
Jenny Durkan, Mayor of Seattle
Park Won-soon, Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Seoul
Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney
Kennedy Stewart, Mayor of Vancouver
About C40
Around the world, C40 Cities connects 96 of the world’s greatest cities to take bold climate action,
leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future. Representing 700+ million citizens
and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the
most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level, as well as to cleaning the air we
breathe. The current chair of C40 is Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti; and three-term Mayor of
New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the Board. C40’s work is made possible
by our three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
(CIFF), and Realdania.
To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit our website and C40 Knowledge Hub
or follow us on
and Linkedin
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The 35th Government of Israel was sworn in during a special ceremony in the Knesset plenum, following more than a year of political deadlock, with three consecutive election cycles.
The State of Israel's 35th government was sworn in today (Sunday, 17 May 2020) during a special ceremony in the Knesset plenum, following more than a year of political deadlock, with three consecutive election cycles. The vote of confidence in the new government passed with 73 in favor and 46 against.
The special sitting was held in the presence of President Reuven Rivlin and Supreme Court President Esther Hayut.
According to the coalition agreement between the Likud and Blue and White parliamentary groups, MK Netanyahu will serve as prime minister for the first 18 months of the government's tenure, while MK Gantz will serve as alternate prime minister and defense minister, and then assume the premiership for the second half of the government's term, while MK Netanyahu will serve as alternate prime minister. PM Netanyahu said the date for MK Gantz assuming the premiership has been set for November 17, 2021.
President
Reuven Rivlin - President
Government Ministers
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benjamin Gantz
Minister for Cyber and National Digital Matters David Amsalem
Minister for Social Equality and Minorities Meirav Cohen
Minister for the Strengthening of Communities Orly Levi-Abekasis
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Alon Schuster
Minister of Communications Yoaz Hendel
Minister of Construction and Housing Yakov Litzman
Minister of Culture and Sport Yehiel Tropper
Minister in the Ministry of Defense Michael Biton
Minister of Diaspora Affairs Omer Yankelevitch
Minister of Education Yoav Gallant
Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz
Minister of Environmental Protection Gila Gamliel
Minister of Finance Israel Katz
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi
Minister of Health Yuli-Yoel Edelstein
Minister of Higher Education and Water Resources Zeev Elkin
Minister of Immigration and Absorption Penina Tamanu
Minister of Intelligence Eli Cohen
Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Rafael Peretz
Minister of Justice Avi Nissenkorn
Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Itzik Shmuli
Minister of Public Security Amir Ohana
Minister of Regional Cooperation Gilad Erdan
Minister of Religious Affairs Yaakov Avitan
Minister of Science and Technology Izhar Shay
Minister of Settlement Tzipi Hotovely
Minister of Strategic Affairs Orit Farkash-Hacohen
Minister of the Economy Amir Peretz
Minister of the Interior Aryeh Machluf Deri
Minister of Tourism Asaf Zamir
Minister of Transportation Miri Regev
Minister Without Portfolio Tzachi Hanegbi
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- Written by Silvia G. Golan
(Jerusalem, May 6, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International has announced the winners of the 2020 B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage: Branu Tegene and Danny Kushmaro of Channel 12 News and Haaretz correspondent Dina Kraft.
Tegene, a correspondent for Channel 12 news, and news anchor Kushmaro will receive the award in the broadcast media category in memory of Wolf and Hilda Matsdorf for a 5-part series entitled "Mefotzalim" (Split Up: The Story of the Ethiopian Jewish Community) that follows the lives of Jewish Ethiopians left behind after the community's mass immigration to Israel, members of their family in Israel and their reunion in Ethiopia (link here) . Kraft will receive the award for print media in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky for articles on Jewish communities in the United States and Great Britain (The Pittsburgh Playbook; How a Community Began to Heal ; The Status of Anti-Semitism in Contemporary America and Britain.)
B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Chairman Haim Katz and Director Alan Schneider noted that "Even in the trying times when Israel and Jewish communities around the world are focused on facing the medical, social and economic fallout of the coronavirus epidemic, efforts must continue to maintain and strengthen the relationship between Israel and Diaspora communities around the world. The B'nai B'rith World Center-Jerusalem remains dedicated to that mission through the Award for Journalism and other significant programs that have been adapted to fit our new reality".
Since its establishment in 1992, the B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism has recognized excellence in reporting on contemporary Diaspora Jewish communities and on the state of Israel-Diaspora relations in the Israeli print, broadcast and online media. The award is widely recognized as the most prestigious prize in the Israeli media industry for Diaspora reportage and was established to help strengthen the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. The award highlights the important contributions the media can make toward strengthening the relationship between Israel and world Jewry by encouraging quality reporting on Diaspora communities and Israel-Diaspora relations.
The distinguished members of the award jury are: Ya'akov Ahimeir, past editor and anchor, Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation and Lifetime Achievement Award winner for 2016; Professor Yehudith Auerbach, School of Communication, Bar Ilan University; Professor Sergio DellaPergola, The Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University; Sallai Meridor, former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former chairman of the Zionist Executive and Jewish Agency for Israel; Professor Gabriela Shalev, Higher Academic Council, Ono Academic College and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations; journalist Yair Sheleg; Asher Weill, publisher and editor of “Ariel” The Israel Review of Arts and Letters (1981-2003).
The Awards are presented in memory of the late Wolf Matsdorf, editor of the World Center-Jerusalem’s journal “Leadership Briefing” and a journalist in Israel and Australia, and his wife Hilda, a pioneer in social work in both Australia and Israel, and in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky. The award is made possible through donations from the Matsdorf family and B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem board member Daniel Schydlowsky.
B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org
Photo Courtesy: Channel 12 news (Branu Tegene and Danny Kushmaro) and Dina Kraft (Dina Kraft).
